THEN: More than 800 people died in Cheniere Caminada near Grand Isle during the unnamed hurricane of 1893. Many of the victims were buried in Lady of Lourdes cemetery along what would become Louisiana Highway 1, in a mass grave, seen in this photo thought to have been taken shortly after the tragedy. The island and the storm would later form the basis foe novel 'The Awakening' by Kate Chopin, who often visited the resort.
(CHENIERE HURRICANE CENTENNIAL)

Reminders of the storm

TODAY: Graveyards, many holding victims of the 1893 hurricane that wiped out the tiny Cheniere Caminada settlement near Grande Isle, are slowly disappearing into the swamp. Over the years, the erosion has accelerated as saltwater intrudes and kills oaks and other vegetation, there's nothing to hold the earth together

According to lore, Cheniere Caminada's chapel bell began pealing on its own as an unexpected and devastating

hurricane blew ashore on Oct. 1, 1893. The town's priest, Father Ferdinand Grimaud, was long remembered for his heroism, gathering up parishioners, and urging them to safety. More More than half of the resort and fishing village's 1,600 residents were killed in the storm. After the storm, many survivors moved farther inland.

TODAY: Even as the swamp devours everything in its path, new housing emerges in the distance, beyond a graveyard along Louisiana Highway 1 that is slowly disappearing.
(PHOTO BY ELLIS LUCIA / The Times-Picayune)